Trusting the enemy
by Aiyh-Sa
Summary: When Kaori is caught in an avalanche, can she trust Psymon to save her? STORY FINISHED!
1. A race gone wrong

Disclaimer: I do not own SSX Tricky or any of the characters, tracks, etc. They remain the property of EA Sports and anyone else officially involved in them. Please don't sue me!  
  
Snow fell heavily on the mountains of the Alps. The sky was almost as white as the ground, and icy wind roared past the frozen trees. Kaori sat on her board, watching the other boarders prepare for the next race. She often felt like she would fail in these races, since she was the smallest and weakest of the group, but she had ridden the Elysium Alps course thousands of times, and she would not get knocked over by anyone, because she got on with everyone.  
  
Well, almost everyone.  
  
"COMING THROUGH!!" a voice screamed out, and Seeiah and Marisol had to dive out of the way to avoid being run over, as Psymon crashed onto the ground after performing a huge jump. Kaori froze in fear as the maniac skidded to a stop, covering JP in snow, and started laughing hysterically. He released his feet from the bindings, and, to her horror, started heading towards her. She wanted to run, but her legs were paralysed in sheer terror. She was always scared of Psymon, as he was unpredictable and could easily lose his temper. He was always on edge, and Kaori constantly had the feeling he would hurt her one day. As he came closer however, she noticed that he was not focused on her, but on Zoe, who was talking to Moby and Eddie. She let out a sigh of relief, and carried on preparing for the big race.  
  
"HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE THIRD RACE OF THE ANNUAL SSX WORLD CIRCUIT," a loud voice announced through the speakers. The crowds were going wild as their favourite boarders slid proudly into the starting gates. In this course, JP was always the most popular, being native to France, but Kaori got a decent amount of praise. She looked down at the slope ahead of her, trying to ignore the fact the Psymon was in the gate next to her.  
  
"Good luck, you're gonna need it!" Psymon cackled, with an evil glint in his eyes as he grinned maniacally at Kaori. Kaori gulped and looked quickly at Marty, who was on her other side.  
  
"Don't worry," Marty whispered reassuringly to her. "I got your back." Kaori smiled at him, and they all pushed off. Kaori instantly raced ahead of Psymon, glad to get away from him, and started relaxing. She loved the thrill of boarding, and being with her friends made it even more fun.  
  
"Hey everyone, watch this!" Eddie and JP called out, and Kaori and Elise turned round just in time to see the boys try to do a Rodeo 900 Flying Squirrel, which went horribly wrong, and they both crashed straight into each other and landed flat on Luther. Elise and Kaori looked and each other and burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter as they raced on. Kaori was really starting to get the feel of it, until she felt something large and heavy crash into her, knocking her to the ground. She turned around to see Psymon tumble into a tree in front of her, covered in bruises. She chose to ignore him, and raced on, unaware that her life was about to be changed forever.  
  
"Hey, what's that noise?" Brodi asked everyone, looking around curiously. Kaori listened for a moment, then she heard it. A rumbling noise echoed throughout the track, and seemed to be getting louder. By now, everyone had stopped, and was whispering to each other nervously, when suddenly Seeiah broke the silence.  
  
"LOOK!" She cried, and Kaori let out a tiny gasp as she saw what was happening. An avalanche had formed, and was tumbling towards them. Some of the boarders were already racing away, while others were watching in horror as trees were being uprooted and dragged along by the snow. Chips of stone were falling down the mountainside, and the crowd was being evacuated. Kaori kicked her board into action, and headed to the finish line, but the avalanche was moving faster, and branches were being thrown to the ground behind her. She attempted to swerve out of the way, but a log hit her on the back, flinging her light frame onto the snow. She barely had time to scream before the thick ice surrounded her, trapping her like quicksand. She struggled for about 30 minutes, before she couldn't struggle any longer, and collapsed from a mixture of exhaustion and pain. 


	2. After the avalanche

Kaori finally awoke after what seemed like hours. She tried to make sense of what had just happened, but was way too disorientated to even think. Weakly, she attempted to make a small hole in the snow, but finding out which way was up was mostly guesswork. Eventually, after a lot of trial and error, she managed to reach the surface of the snow with her hand, and began to try and pull herself out. Everything was still hazy to her, but at least now she had a better chance of being seen, she thought, as she slowly came to her senses. Finally, she managed to drag her top half out of the snow, and lay there, to worn out to do anymore.  
  
Psymon contentedly surveyed the landscape, resting against a tree. He knew no one had been hurt by the avalanche, and besides, it was a great way to start practising some boarding moves! He had hiked back up to the top of the mountain, simply to have a go at riding the avalanche. He loved anything unusual, so this was a perfect opportunity for him. He attached his boots to the board, and kicked off, enjoying the moment. The snow was soft and smooth, perfect for riding down, and a cool breeze brushed past his face. Suddenly, he came to a halt, noticing something sticking out of the snow. He moved closer, and realized it was Kaori. She was lying motionless, and her legs were still encased in the thick snow. At first Psymon wanted to walk away. After all, why should he care about her? If he had it his way, he would've trapped her under the snow completely, the little brat. Still, he couldn't just sit there and watch someone freeze to death; he had enough problems already without guilt adding to them. Reluctantly, he bent down and hauled Kaori's small body onto the snow. She groaned slightly, and opened her eyes wearily. Seeing Psymon's wild eyes looking down at her, she let out a yelp of fear and tried to run, but slipped on the snow and fell flat on her face. Psymon laughed, and pulled her to her feet. She stood there shakily for a moment, trying to regain her balance, before staring at him in disbelief.  
  
"Why did you do that?" She asked, wondering whether she should try to run again or not.  
  
"What?" Psymon growled, glaring at her impatiently. "All I did was pull you out of the snow. It's not like I care if you die or not, you were just in the way." Kaori relaxed a little, and smiled in amusement.  
  
"You're a really bad liar, you know," she giggled, and Psymon looked quickly away.  
  
"Shut up!" He moaned, trying to cover his embarrassment. "OK, so I don't like seeing people dying, so what? Now shut up about it or you're dead meat." Kaori just giggled again, knowing now that he was all bark and no bite, and suddenly dropped to her knees and started searching in the snow.  
  
"You haven't seen my board, have you?" She asked, desperately pawing at the ground.  
  
"What, this?" Psymon grinned, and flung a board at her, knocking her on the back of the head.  
  
"Hey!" She wailed, and tied her boots to her board. "Well, how are we gonna find the others?" She asked, straightening herself up and looking around. Psymon sighed. He hadn't really sussed that one out yet, and although he would've preferred to stay on his own, the sooner he got this kid out of his hair, the better. Besides, he wanted to see if Zoe was alright. She was the only one who cared about him, so he only cared about her. Getting back to reality, he looked down the slope, and saw that the main route ahead was blocked, but behind a panel of red glass there seemed to be a way through.  
  
"Come on," he called back to Kaori, and they both pushed off.  
  
"Where are we going?" Kaori asked uncertainly.  
  
"Follow me!" Psymon replied, and headed towards the glass, smashing straight through it. He noticed a tree in front of him that had been pushed over by something, and couldn't resist rail grinding over it. Kaori tried to follow, but lost balance and ended up with a face full of snow. She quickly recovered and hurried to catch up with Psymon, who was trying to hold back laughter after seeing her little display. He suddenly braked, and looked at Kaori, grinning wildly. "Can you land big jumps alright?"  
  
"I think so," Kaori answered, and Psymon pushed off and disappeared over the edge of a huge cliff. Kaori took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and jumped. She felt the wind pushing hard against her board, and felt the rush of air all around her. Finally her board landed with a heavy thud, and she rushed off after Psymon, who had stopped again. His cold eyes were filled with panic, and as she looked up she saw that the avalanche had dislodged some huge boulders, that had begun rolling don the cliff face on the other side. Their jump hadn't done much good either, and rocks were showering on them from both sides. The track was too narrow to go anywhere but straight down.  
  
"Uh, what now?" Kaori asked nervously. Psymon looked back at her, then up at the boulders again. Before she had time to speak again, a gigantic piece of rock crashed down behind them. "What do we do?" She cried, shaking. Psymon kicked his board into action.  
  
"RUN!!" 


	3. A major setback

Sorry this has taken a while, I've been giving myself time to figure the storyline out properly instead of just going with the flow. It ought to get better now, so R&R please! Hope you enjoy! Oh yeah, I decided to move up the age rating due to some pretty nasty gore, so watch out if you're squeamish!  
  
*****  
  
Lumps of rock crashed to the ground around them, kicking up snow in a thick mist. They raced on, as boulders fell dangerously close to them. Bits of stone whipped across Psymon's face, cutting him. Blood trickled into his eyes, blurring his vision, but he had to keep moving. If he didn't, they would be killed. He would be killed. He didn't care about Kaori so much as himself, but he at least wanted to see the kid alive. They came flying off numerous ledges, trying to escape the threat that was following them. Then, it happened. A huge hunk of rock crashed onto Kaori's board, shattering it, along with her leg. She fell, screaming in pain. Tears of desperation filled her eyes, as she called for Psymon to help her. Psymon skidded to a halt, and turned to look at her. Blood oozed out of her leg, onto the clean white snow beneath it. Why should I help her? He thought to himself. It's her own fault for not looking where she was going. Still. He sighed, and reluctantly released his feet from the bindings, then made his way to Kaori, trying not to get hit by any falling rocks. Her leg was pretty badly mangled up, and was still trapped under the boulder. He knelt down next to her, studying the damage.  
  
"How bad is it?" He asked, trying to move the boulder. Kaori looked up at him, her face almost white.  
  
"I think.I think it's broken," she sobbed, panting in pain. Psymon frowned, deep in thought. He had to get her out of here as soon as possible or they'd both be killed, but if her moved the leg too much, it would cause even more damage. How was he going to move that boulder without hurting her? Looking at it, the boulder didn't actually look that big. Maybe he could lift it straight off her.  
  
"Keep still," he instructed, and slowly lifted the rock up. It was a lot heavier than he'd guessed, but he couldn't dare drop it on her, or for all he knew, it might even take Kaori's leg right off. He dropped it to one side, where it landed with a heavy thud, and then moved back to Kaori. Her leg was almost unrecognisable, it was so badly damaged. It was covered in blood, and underneath the ripped leggings she was wearing, he could see that the skin was torn off at some places, exposing the muscle, and the bone stuck grotesquely through the skin that remained. Psymon felt his stomach churn, but ignored the feeling and looked into Kaori's eyes. They were glazed with pain, and she was struggling to focus. He put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her, but the landslide had begun again. Psymon looked around desperately for a place to take shelter, then saw a tunnel in the side of one of the cliffs that had been previously covered in ice. It had been opened by a boulder, and wasn't too far for Kaori.  
  
"Listen, there's a cave over there we can take shelter in," he told her. "Think you can make it?"  
  
"I'll try," she whimpered, and tried to stand up. Her damaged leg buckled under her, and she fell down with a yelp of pain. "I can't move my leg!" She moaned, and started crying silently. Psymon bent down, and untied her feet from the board. He gently picked her up, trying not to move her leg too much. She whimpered slightly, and winced in pain as her leg was lifted off the ground.  
  
"Almost there," Psymon said softly, trying to reassure the girl. He stooped down to get into the cave, and laid her down on the stony floor. Once he made sure her leg was comfortable, he walked to the entrance of the cave and looked out. He wondered if the others were searching for them, or if they even noticed that they hadn't come back. Had Zoe got past the avalanche alright? His thoughts trailed back to when he had first joined SSX. Everyone else just shied away from him, and instantly took a dislike to him, treating him like he wasn't even human. But not Zoe. At the opening party, all the girls were taking bets on who could get closest to him while he was at the buffet without running away, then Zoe just walked up and got drinks for them all, not unnerved by him in the slightest. Moments later, they were talking together like they'd known each other for years. Getting back to reality, he realized his board was still outside, and ran to get it. As soon as he had picked it up, he heard a familiar voice calling his name. Turning around, he saw Seeiah skidding towards him on a snowmobile. She came to a stop in front of him, trying to catch her breath. After a few seconds, she looked up at him, surprisingly relieved to see him.  
  
"Are you okay?" She asked, shaking slightly from her rough ride. "Is Kaori with you?" Psymon smiled.  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay, and Kaori's with me. Her leg is pretty badly screwed up, though." He led her to the cave. Seeiah's eyes widened as her gaze moved down to Kaori's leg.  
  
"Oh my god," she whispered, and moved closer. Kaori tried a weak smile, but her discomfort was evident on her face. "Don't worry," Seeiah said, smiling back at the kid. "The others are on their way, we'll have you outta here in no time." Just as she said it, the ground started rumbling again. Psymon rushed outside and looked up. The rocks had started falling again, and if they didn't move fast, they'd be caved in.  
  
"We have to get out of here now!" He yelled, rushing back inside. "How are we going to move Kaori?" He asked Seeiah desperately.  
  
"Don't panic," Seeiah replied. "I came here on a snowmobile remember? It'll fit me and Kaori in, and you can use your snowboard." Psymon nodded, and walked over to Kaori.  
  
"I'm going to have to move your leg again, do you think you can put up with the pain?" He asked her. She smiled bravely, and nodded. He picked her, and headed outside, following Seeiah. He placed Kaori inside Seeiah's snowmobile, and strapped his shoes to his board. They moved off, and Psymon only hoped this nightmare would end soon. 


	4. Death and reunion

OK, I'm in a weird mood at the moment, and decided to be evil to Seeiah. If you're a Seeiah fan, sorry, but I can't resist! If you hate Seeiah, enjoy! I know I said there would be gore in the last one, but I couldn't do it cos my little sis was watching, so this chapter is different, and I'm gonna try and make it gory, but I dunno how well I did, so tell me what you think. Is it not gory enough, or too gory? Any comments would be appreciated. Now, on with the show!  
  
As they came onto the main track once more, Kaori started to be less anxious, and concentrated on trying to keep her leg comfortable, which was becoming increasingly difficult as they flew round corners and over the bumpy track. Seeiah seemed confident though, as she sped across the track She didn't notice the tree that had begun falling in front of them until it was too late. Psymon was just inches behind the snowmobile, and didn't have time to move out of the way. The tree fell onto the snowmobile, and Seeiah tried to jump out, but didn't make it. The tree collapsed on her, crushing her skull against the front of the vehicle, and flattening it. Shards of bone slid onto the snow, drenched in a mixture of blood and mangled brain. Her eyes hung out of the sockets, still connected to the head by the nerves. The tree threw the back of the vehicle up, and Kaori was jolted up, slamming her leg hard against the seat in front of her. Her already snapped bone tore straight through the skin and muscle, and she screamed and passed out. Psymon slammed into the back of the snowmobile, and glass flew at him. He tried to block himself from impact with his arm, but couldn't and his stomach was sliced by a sharp bit of metal on the back. He pushed himself away, hurriedly untying his board. He stepped back, looking down at his top. The white material was stained crimson, and a painful, burning sensation shot through his stomach, causing him to stumble backwards slightly, clutching his abdomen. He walked slowly to the front of the crushed vehicle, trying to ignore the almost unbearable pain, but decided not to move any further forward when he spotted the blood dripping from underneath the fallen tree, already guessing what had become of Seeiah. He walked over to where Kaori was, and seeing that she was still breathing, gently lifted her up, then put her down quickly as his stomach started throbbing, and the blood flow increased. He took off his top, seemingly unaffected by the cold, and tore it in half, using both halves as bandages. He wrapped one half around his waist, and the other around Kaori's leg, then sat next to her, trying to figure out what to do next.  
  
Zoe paced around anxiously as the officials questioned boarders and spectators about what they saw. There was still no sign of Psymon or Kaori, and Seeiah hadn't come back. She didn't like to admit it, but she was trying to choose between Psymon and Moby. She liked them both, but knew she couldn't go out with them both. Right now, she was desperate to know if Psymon was alright. She looked over at Marty. He was equally worried about Kaori, rushing to different people and the officials and asking about Kaori. Suddenly, he ran over to the nearest snowmobile, and leapt inside.  
  
"What are you doing?" One of the officials asked, jogging over.  
  
"I'm gonna find Kaori!" He replied simply, and sped off before anyone could stop. Zoe jumped into another snowmobile, and slammed on the engine.  
  
"Now what?" The official asked, running up to Zoe.  
  
"Same as Marty," Zoe shouted over the engine, and zoomed after Marty.  
  
Psymon sat on the soft snow, his head buried in his arms, trying to make sense of things. It was getting dark now, and he knew from experience that Elysium Alps was twice as dangerous to ride at night, when it became too dark to see any trees and rocks that might be blocking the way. He looked over at Kaori, who was still out cold. The silhouette of Seeiah's corpse lay spread across the debris, the large pool of blood glistening in the moonlight. As he was drifting off to sleep, he thought he saw lights heading towards them, but assumed it was merely his imagination. He had seen more than enough things to screw his brain up in that one day, and just wanted to sleep through it and forget it. He closed his eyes and sighed, but after opening them again, the lights were still present, and were growing larger. Psymon subconsciously blinked, and looked down at Kaori, who was finally waking up. As her eyes slowly came into focus, she too saw the lights, and tried to stand up, forgetting about her leg. The bone pushed against the skin surrounding it, causing great pain, and Kaori fell back down and let out a loud yelp. The lights stopped moving, and Psymon could hear voices in the distance as the lights moved closer. This has to be a dream, he thought to himself, but then he heard it.  
  
A small voice was calling his name in the distance. He strained his ears to hear it, and heard another voice calling for Kaori. He pinched himself, and realized that this was reality. By now, Kaori had heard it too, and was looking around nervously, wide awake with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.  
  
"What is it?" She asked Psymon, glancing over at him, trembling slightly. She looked around, and suddenly screamed. Psymon instantly knew what the problem was; she'd seen what was left of Seeiah. The body was still laid out across the front of the battered snowmobile, and as the tree had slowly crushed it more, her chest was now crushed as well, with splintered ribs sticking out of her back in all directions. Kaori whimpered, and pulled herself closer to Psymon, ignoring the painful sensations in her leg, and buried her head in his lap, crying silently. This was not something Psymon had expected, but he did his best to comfort the girl, stroking her hair gently.  
  
"I wish this was all just a bad dream," she sobbed, looking up at Psymon, tears streaking down her cheeks.  
  
"It's ok," Psymon said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Soon we'll be out of here, and we'll get your leg sorted out." Kaori smiled faintly, then her head suddenly jerked to where the lights were.  
  
"I hear something!" She exclaimed, and listened intently to where the noise came from. She heard it again, and this time she could tell what it was.  
  
"Kaori!" A faint voice cried out. Marty's voice. Kaori's eyes widened, and she let out a gasp, not quite believing what she heard, until she heard another voice.  
  
"Psymon, where are you?" a female voice called, who both Psymon and Kaori recognised as Zoe. Psymon stood up, and waved to them.  
  
"Guys! Can you hear me?" In response, the vehicles sped up, crashing over the bumps. Kaori looked up at Psymon, and smiled with relief. Help was coming.  
  
Zoe was nearly jumping up and down with joy. She had been terrified that they hadn't made it, but knowing that at least Psymon was okay filled her with excitement. She beamed at Marty, who smiled back.  
  
"You were right," she said, grinning. "They made it." The smile went from her face though, when she noticed that up ahead, the two slopes on either side of the track were beginning to cave in. Psymon saw this too, and ran forward. They came too late. Ice, snow and rock blocked the way, and Zoe groaned in desperation. Psymon sighed. This was just great. He walked back to Kaori, who was close to tears.  
  
"Now what?" She moaned. Psymon shook his head.  
  
"I don't know. There must be some way past.." His voice trailed off as he studied the obstruction thoughtfully. He noticed a voice coming from behind the wall of snow, and walked over.  
  
"Psymon, can you hear me?" Zoe asked, worried if he was alright.  
  
"Yeah, I'm here," he replied, and Zoe smiled.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Yeah, and Kaori's with me. Her leg is injured, but other than that, she's fine."  
  
"What about Seeiah?"  
  
"."  
  
"What?" Psymon paused for a moment, and sighed.  
  
"She didn't make it." Zoe stumbled back in shock, and Marty rushed over to help steady her. They both listened in horror as Psymon continued.  
  
"We were escaping from the avalanche, and her snowmobile was crushed. She tried to get out, but the tree hit her mid-jump, and." Psymon stopped, not wanting to go into any further detail. He heard Zoe sigh, and tried to make a small hole in the snow. He gave up halfway through, and slouched onto the floor. He felt a bit of snow fall on him, and looked up, to see that Zoe had completed the hole. He looked through the hole at her and smiled.  
  
"What happened to your stomach?" She asked, peering down at the bandage.  
  
"Nothing," he replied simply, and looked into her eyes. They were full of sorrow and concern he had never seen Zoe show before. He reached over and touched her cheek lightly. She smiled faintly, her eyes brimming with tears. She quickly wiped them away, and looked around.  
  
"Where's Kaori?" She asked, and Psymon pointed over to the small girl, who looked up.  
  
"Psymon, help me come over there!" Kaori called out, and Psymon walked over to her and gently picked her up, taking her to where the snow-wall was. She looked through the hole to Marty. "Hi Marty!" She said, and Marty scampered to the hole.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked, relieved to see that his friend was okay.  
  
"Yeah," she smiled, and drifted off to sleep again. Zoe looked down at her. Psymon laughed.  
  
"Poor girl had a rough day," he said, and looked back at Zoe. "You should get some sleep too. We'll sort this out in the morning. Same goes for you, Marty." The three boarders settled down, and slowly went to sleep, except for Psymon. He looked through the opening at Zoe, and smiled. He knew there was a way out now, and he would do whatever it takes to get himself and Kaori out, so that the gang could be reunited once more. And with that though, he finally slept, knowing that everything would be okay. 


	5. a step closer to death

OK, sorry this took so long, but I've been suffering from a particularly nasty case of Writer's Block. It seems to have gone now, so I can carry on with the story! YAAAY! Oh yeah, I'll probably end it at chapter 6, if you guys want it to end later, just tell me. Now, on with the show!  
  
Psymon woke up to the sound of scraping. He opened his eyes wearily, and looked around. Kaori was still fast asleep, resting against him. He was tempted to push her off, but decided to let her sleep. He leaned over, and looked through the hole in the snow wall. Marty was asleep, but Zoe had disappeared. He shrugged, and lay back down, assuming that she'd probably gone off to get help. However, as soon as he'd closed his eyes, a load of snow hit him in the face. He grumbled and looked up, to see Zoe perched on top of the snow wall, with a snowball in her hand, grinning. He grinned back at her.  
  
"What are you doing up there?" He called up, slightly confused.  
  
"Thought I'd wake you up," she replied, and hopped down. After a moment, she scrambled back up, this time with a rope in her hand. "Here, catch!" She shouted, and threw the rope down to Psymon. He tugged at the rope a bit, before looking up at Zoe again.  
  
"What did you attach it to?" He asked, tugging again.  
  
"The snowmobile," she replied casually, then slid off the wall and shook Marty awake, who grumbled and got up slowly. Psymon gently woke up Kaori, who smiled once she saw the rope, instantly knowing what was happening. Marty appeared above them.  
  
"Hey, Psymon," he called, and the older boarder looked up. "Pass Kaori up here," he instructed, and instantly shied away, worried that Psymon would have a go at him for ordering him about. However, Psymon simply nodded and picked Kaori up carefully, and helped her get on top of the wall. She beamed and hugged Marty, relieved to be with him again. Marty held her close for a few moments, wanting the moment to last forever. I'll never let her out of my sight again, he promised himself, before lowering her down slowly. Zoe came over and caught her, placing her in the snowmobile.  
  
"OK, now you, Psymon!" She yelled, a lot braver than Marty. Psymon climbed up the rope, and leapt over to where the others were. Kaori looked back through the hole, obviously concerned about something.  
  
"What about -" she hesitated before carrying on. "What about, you know, Seeiah's body?" Psymon thought about this, then shrugged.  
  
"I dunno. We'll tell the officials what happened and where we've left the body, and they'll take care of things." Kaori nodded, and moved over as Marty got in the snowmobile. Psymon jumped into Zoe's snowmobile since his stomach was still too weak for him to snowboard, and Zoe strapped her boots to Psymon's board.  
  
"We'd better head back," she said, and everyone agreed. The engines started, Zoe kicked the board into action, and they all sped off together. The snow was still pretty loose, so they had to be careful not to start the avalanche again.  
  
Kaori knew that this was it, the nightmare was finally going to be over. She had to see all her friends again. She greatly missed Brodi and Eddie, as well as the others. She was even eager to speak to Luther and JP. As they raced on, she felt a sense of confidence she hadn't felt since before that fateful race. She looked up at Marty, and felt thankful that she was with him once more. She had wondered about these feelings in the past, but now she knew it. She loved him. She loved him more than everything else in the world, and she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. She looked back at Zoe and Psymon. She trusted Psymon now. She wasn't scared of him anymore, he was a friend. As she looked back at the snow wall, she realised how lucky she had been to survive such an ordeal. Seeiah hadn't been so lucky, and Kaori could've easily suffered the same fate. Now, she just wanted to put it all behind her. She looked down the track, and could already make out the riders and officials far off in the distance.  
  
"I see the others!" She shouted out, and Zoe and Psymon smiled.  
  
"Told you I'd get you out of here," Psymon exclaimed, and Kaori laughed. However, they hadn't noticed the faint rumbling below them as they sped on.  
  
*****  
  
Below the surface of the mountain, a group of miners were hard at work, collecting the coal that had just been detected in the rock. Two workers travelled down the dark tunnels, with only a single flashlight to guide them. The dust was heavy and suffocating, but still they had to keep moving. They pushed a wheelbarrow full of dynamite across the bumpy floor to the main chamber. Once there, one of the workers walked off, while the other pushed the barrow to men with clipboards.  
  
"Is this okay?" He panted, slouching against the barrow. The men nodded.  
  
"Nice work, Brian," one of them said. "For your first day here, you have done really well." Brian smiled. Maybe his family would make it after all. This job could save his wife and children from poverty at last.  
  
"Should I prepare the explosives?" He asked, and the miners in charge nodded and cleared everyone out of the chamber. Brian hooked up some dynamite to wires attached to a detonator, and moved back, preparing to push down the handle. He didn't realise that a few sticks of dynamite had fallen out of the barrow, and were scattered around the floor. As he pushed down, he didn't even notice the stick that he was accidentally standing on until it was too late. The last thing that crossed his mind was the excruciating pain that he felt as his body was torn apart.  
  
*****  
  
Marty stopped suddenly, hearing the loud boom coming from beneath them. He looked around nervously, then down at Kaori. She had heard it too, and her face was pale with fear.  
  
"What was that?" She whispered, shaking a little. Marty didn't reply, but looked back at Zoe and Psymon, who had also come to a halt. They were looking up at the top of the mountain. Marty followed their gaze, and his eyes grew wide with astonishment as he saw what was coming towards them. Snow was crashing down towards them, taking massive chunks of rock with it. The rumbling was like an earthquake now, and the vehicles and the board were being jolted around as the ground shook violently. The group rushed off, but the landslide was too fast. A boulder smacked into the back of Zoe's head, and she fell to the ground. As soon as the others slowed, the snow was on top of them. Kaori screamed, but all sound was drowned out from the rushing and crashing of ice and rock. The force of it was enough to tear a ship to pieces, and Kaori couldn't struggle, as the pressure jammed her arms in place. Marty tried to grab her, but was lost in the commotion surrounding him. She screamed for someone to help, but her cries went unheard. All she could think about was her inevitable ending, as she was dragged further into the oblivion of the avalanche. 


	6. The rescue

Psymon struggled desperately, trying to grab one of the half-fallen trees as he was swept further down the mountain. The force of the rushing snow around him was almost too much to bear, and he felt like he was being torn apart. His stomach felt about to burst as he tumbled down with the avalanche. Shards of stone and ice flew at his face, and the snow was being kicked up into an impenetrable mist. He felt something hit his leg underneath the snow, and it definitely wasn't a rock or chunk of ice. He forced his body down into the snow, feeling around for what it was that had hit him, trying not to let himself get dragged away. He felt the object brush past his hand, and grabbed it, then started to drag himself up to the surface, kicking and pushing against the avalanche. Once he reached the surface, he pulled the object out of the snow. It was an arm. He slowly dragged the body out of the snow, and saw that it was Zoe. She was unconscious, but she was still breathing. He clung tightly onto her, holding her close to him, refusing to let go. He had to survive this, if for nothing else than to make sure that Zoe was safe. He just hoped that help would arrive soon, or she didn't stand a chance.  
  
Kaori screamed out, despite the knowledge that no one could hear her. She felt sick, and couldn't make sense of things. Everything was just a hazy blur to her. She could hear nothing but the deafening rush of snow around her, and her whole body was completely numb with cold. She didn't feel the ice and rock that encased her weakened calf, tearing it from her thigh. She didn't feel the nerves as they snapped off her leg, or the muscle as it was ripped away with the bone, spilling blood everywhere. All she felt was the freezing cold that surrounded her body, and all she saw was the snow that passed her eyes, tossing her about like a useless rag doll. She didn't care anymore, she was going to die anyway. Why struggle, when fate has been decided, she said to herself, and closed her eyes wearily.  
  
Moby watched the mountain from where the others were, in a state of panic. He had been one of the first to hear the explosion, and now all he could do was watch helplessly as the boarders up there were being dragged down the track. Zoe still hadn't come back, so she was obviously in the landslide as well. He turned around, and saw the helicopter as it began to lift off the ground, carrying the paramedics with it. The door was still open. Without giving it a second thought, he ran up to the helicopter. He wasn't going to sit there and watch her die, he was going to rescue her. He jumped inside the aircraft before anyone could stop him, and stood there defiantly. One of the paramedics walked up to him, frowning.  
  
"Get out," he ordered firmly. "You aren't permitted to be a part of the rescue team, so leave the aircraft immediately." His voice had a tone of finality, but Moby didn't move. He glared coldly at the paramedic.  
  
"Listen, you," he sneered, grinning slightly to himself as the medic shrunk back in fear. "My girl is up there, and I'm going to help her. If you don't like it, get out of here, because I'm staying right here. Is that clear?" The medic nodded, and walked off sheepishly, to the cockpit. Moby smiled at his own victory, and sat down, looking out of the window for any sign of Zoe and the others.  
  
Kaori felt a rock knock her on the back of her head, scratching her skin, but ignored it. She couldn't be bothered even trying to escape. She knew that it was over, and there wasn't anything left worth living for. Seeiah was dead, the others had probably died too, even Marty. She wondered if he was still alive, or if he had been rescued yet, but that didn't matter now. She wasn't' going to see him again, and he wasn't going to see her alive again. As she was forced along the landslide, the pressure around her increased, and she felt as though she was being torn to pieces. She wanted to hurry up and die, so she could be put out of this pain. She felt something trap her arm, and drag her backwards. This was probably a load of rocks about to snap her in half, she thought to herself. However, she found herself being dragged upwards, against the force of the snow and ice crashing around her. She reached the surface, and gasped, struggling for breath as she slowly came to her senses. She looked up, to see that Marty had caught her. He reached out with his other arm, and grasped a nearby branch, hauling the two of them out of the snow. Now Kaori realised, she did have something to live for - Marty.  
  
Moby leaned out of the open door on the chopper, looking down at the mountain, checking for any sign of the other boarders. He stopped suddenly, and grabbed a pair of binoculars. He had seen something down there, and it looked human. He peered through the binoculars, and realised that it was two humans, but it was too misty to make out who they were. He dropped the binoculars, and jogged up to the pilot.  
  
"There are two people down there," he said, trying to keep his voice even. "Turn around, I'm gonna try and throw a rope down to them." The pilot nodded, and spun the helicopter around. Once they had been lowered down enough, Moby picked up a megaphone.  
  
"Hey, who's there? Are you okay down there?" He waited a while, then walked away, thinking that they probably couldn't hear him, but then he heard a voice.  
  
"Moby? That you?"  
  
"Psymon? Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm not injured much."  
  
"Who's with you?"  
  
"Zoe. She's knocked out, but she'll be okay. No sign of the others yet."  
  
"I'm gonna throw down a rope. Try and grab it if you can." Moby ran up to a box on the floor of the aircraft, and fumbled about, searching for a rope. He couldn't find any, and cursed under his breath, but then his eye caught on something. Next to the door, there was a lever, with a sign saying, "PULL LEVER TO RELEAES ROPE LADDER". Moby pulled it, and a ladder dropped in front of Psymon, who grabbed it, still holding onto Zoe. He began hauling himself out of the snow, and made his way to the chopper. He had never been so relieved to see Moby before in his life. Once he reached the top, he handed Zoe to the medics, who put her on a bed, before climbing up himself. He knelt there for a moment, trying to catch his breath before he stood up shakily, and made his way to one of the benches in the aircraft. He sat down, gazing out of the window. He just hoped that the other two would be able to hang on until the helicopter reached them.  
  
Marty narrowed his eyes, trying to see through the heavy mist of snow that surrounded them as they clung onto the overhanging branch. He couldn't see the others, but he knew in his heart that if they just held on for long enough, help would come. They just had to hang in there. He looked over at Kaori. He had his arm around her to stop her from falling, because although she was awake, she was too weak to hold on by herself. She looked up and smiled at him, and he smiled back. He wasn't going to abandon her now, he would stay with her until the end. He looked at her leg, concern filling his face, and Kaori smiled again.  
  
"It's okay," she said, trying to reassure him "It doesn't hurt." He drew her closer to him, protecting her from the avalanche that rushed below them. He suddenly felt a breeze above him that seemed to be growing stronger, and looked up. The helicopter was flying above them, but it was going away. He groaned desperately as he realised that it hadn't seen them. He cried out, but it was no use. He felt something sharply poke him in his side, and looked over at Kaori, who pointed at a load of trees that had been dragged towards the centre of the track, sticking out above the avalanche, forming an arch above it. "We can move onto that, then they'll see us." She said, and Marty grinned. There was one problem though. How were they going to get across Suddenly it hit him. They had to go back into the avalanche. He took a deep breath, then started lowering himself down. He looked up at Kaori.  
  
"We're going to have to go through the avalanche, then grab the branches," he explained, as Kaori started sobbing. She nodded, and lowered herself down as well. Marty leaned over and kissed her. "Good luck," he whispered, and they dropped into the avalanche. The force hit them immediately. Kaori flailed about, trying to get to Marty, who pushed himself towards her and grabbed her. He reached up, and grabbed the branches above them, but they snapped in his grasp. He snatched at the air, trying to get to them, but it was no use. The two boarders held onto each other as they were dragged along. They looked up at the helicopter. It had noticed them. Now, Marty could only hope that they could get to them in time.  
  
Psymon and Moby rushed over to the door, and pulled the lever.  
  
"They have to make it," Psymon moaned, as he watched the two people down there. He picked up the megaphone, and began shouting down to them.  
  
"Marty? Kaori? Can you hear me?" In response, Marty looked up and yelled something, but Psymon couldn't make out what he was saying. "Grab the ladder," he called out, and Marty tried to grab it, but missed. Psymon lowered himself down, and Moby stared at him.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm going after them." He began to climb down, ignoring Moby's orders for him to stop. The wind whipped his face, but he carried on. Once he reached them, he held out a hand to Marty. "Come on," he yelled. "I'll pull you up." He grabbed Marty's arm, hauling him up to the ladder. However, when Kaori started to climb, she got knocked off the ladder by the strong wind. Psymon launched himself off the rope ladder while Marty climbed up, and grasped Kaori's hand. He felt himself tumble through the landslide, but pushed against it, and pulled himself towards the ladder. He held up Kaori, who started to climb back up, but his leg became trapped in a crack in a log. He tried to free himself, but couldn't. He looked ahead, and stopped trying to get back to the helicopter. Instead, he pulled himself further down the avalanche, If he could just hang on a little longer, he would be at the finish line, and then he would be okay. He struggled again, and finally freed his leg. He got on top of the log, and crawled to the front end of it. He grasped a branch that was sticking out at the top, and pulled it, trying to steer the log and turn it around. Once it was facing towards the finish line, he just held on for dear life. He knew he could do it now, until he saw where the avalanche was heading. It was heading towards a cliff face, and he knew now that he had to get out. He heard a whirring behind him, and realised that the helicopter was still there. He reached out, and grabbed the ladder, dragging himself up, holding on tightly. He climbed back up to the chopper, and finally reached safety. He crawled up to a seat and sunk down into it, glad that the danger was over. He looked over at Zoe, who was waking up. She looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back, but his face fell as he saw that Moby was standing over him.  
  
"What are you doing with my girl?" Moby asked, growing suspicious. Psymon leered up at him.  
  
"She's not your girl," he growled, and Moby's eyes darkened. He turned around to Zoe.  
  
"You better decide," he sneered. "Me or Psymon. You can't have us both" Zoe sighed and closed her eyes. She wasn't hoping it wouldn't come to this. Eventually she looked up at the two men.  
  
"Neither of you," she replied. "You're both friends to me, nothing more." Moby glared at Psymon, his heart burning with a raging hatred towards the other man.  
  
"You'll see," he snapped. "I'll get her yet, and you'll wish you were never born." With that, he walked to the cockpit, and Zoe looked over at Marty and Kaori, who were asleep together. She looked back at the cockpit. She knew really who to pick, but how was she going to tell them? With that thought, she closed her eyes again, promising herself never to go near avalanches again.  
  
The End  
  
Well, I did it! It's finished! Yaaaaay! :D :D :D as you've probably figure out already, there's a sequel coming soon, so watch this space! For now, thanks for all the reviews, and I hope you've enjoyed this story! 


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